Feb 15, 2005 - 12:00 am .- A top Italian cardinal said he is certain Pope John Paul II has the capacity to continue to work and to make decisions even after the 10 days he recently spent in hospital for the flu and breathing difficulties, reported the Italian daily La Repubblica.

Feb 15, 2005 - 12:00 am .- In declarations to the Portuguese news agency Lusa, several Portuguese bishops praised the life of Sister Lucia, who they recalled as an “example of faith,” and they praised her testimony of humility and discretion.

Feb 15, 2005 - 12:00 am .- The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has shelved a study that highlights the effectiveness of abstinence education in reducing HIV infection and has commissioned a second study to a researcher known to advocate condom distribution instead, reports Focus on the Family.

Feb 15, 2005 - 12:00 am .- The Vatican has announced that the conclusion to a report on Globalization published last year is due to be presented on February 25th by Cardinal Renato Martino, president of the Pontifical Council "Justice and Peace," and Juan Somavia, director of the International Labor Organization.

Feb 15, 2005 - 12:00 am .- Two Catholic legislators from Massachusetts sought to justify their support for same-sex marriage last week by citing their religious convictions. Representative Marie P. St. Fleur said Feb. 10 that her conclusion was “coming from a place of faith,” and Senator Marian Walsh said her “faith” gave her the “clarity” she needed to make this decision.

Feb 15, 2005 - 12:00 am .- A coalition of Christian organizations are calling on citizens who support the public display of the Ten Commandments to come to Washington, DC, on the eve of Supreme Court arguments in two cases on this issue.

Feb 15, 2005 - 12:00 am .- During a press conference to mark the beginning of the Week of the Family, Archbishop Antonio Cañizares of Toledo, Spain, said “therapeutic cloning” was a euphemism and that its purpose is “to create cloned human beings in order to kill them” in an attack against human life and dignity.

Feb 15, 2005 - 12:00 am .- In an interview with the Spanish magazine Alba, Bishop Juan Antonio Reig Pla of Segorbe-Castellón, Spain, explained the origin of gender ideology and laid out seven concepts Catholics should keep in mind in understanding the “gay phenomenon” in Spain and the rest of the world.